Feb. 21, 2013

Hawthorn 'Winter King' offers berries that often last well into March. / The Journal News

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Can a great garden sell a house? Pepe Maynard is a garden designer and she has created a fantastic 8-acre garden around the house, carving it right into the side of a mountain. A detail of the aptly named paperbark maple tree, which is known for its reddish brown exfoliating bark, is photographed Oct. 29, 2009. ( Tania Savayan / The Journal News ) / Tania Savayan/Staff

With their copper-colored peeling bark and interesting arrangement of branches, paperbark maple trees make a wonderful addition to the winter landscape in the Hudson Valley. / File photo/TJN

Winter is a wonderful time to appreciate a plant's bark. The bark of this stewartia tree is a rich patchwork of colors this time of year. / AP/Lee Reich

For a real statement, plant winterberry in front of a wall of evergreens. These are at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. / File photo TJN

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Most trees earn their keep in spring and fall — offering fragrant pink, yellow or white blossoms in the first heady days of spring and then taking another bow in autumn with their tawny, crimson or mustard-colored leaves aglow in the last days before cooler weather settles in.

More rarely, some trees look their absolute best in winter, offering interesting bark, or brightly colored berries, or show-stopping architecture that plays out so well against a slate-gray sky. These are the keepers you want in your yard this time of year.

For architectural interest, it’s hard to beat the twisted forms of Japanese maples, especially ones that have been around for a few decades. Solitary oaks and American elms are also majestic in the winter landscape.

Paperbark maple

With their copper-colored peeling bark and interesting arrangement of branches, paperbark maple trees make a wonderful addition to the winter landscape in the Hudson Valley.

Known botanically as Acer griseum, these showy, slow-growing trees reach a height of 40 feet at full maturity.

Paperbark maples are hardy to USDA Zone 4, but they do best when planted in a somewhat sheltered spot with filtered instead of direct sunlight and moist, well-drained soil. For the most part, they are pest and disease resistant.

Like all maples, they have shallow roots, so be careful what you plant around them.

When spring arrives, plant a single specimen, or even better, plant three or five together to really make an impact in the landscape.

Stewartia

Known botanically as Stewartia pseudocamelia, stewartia is another slow grower with interesting variegated bark that shines in winter.

It likes rich and moist well-drained soil and partial sun or filtered shade. It tops out at 10 to 25 feet tall with a 10-foot spread.

As a bonus, it offers gorgeous white camelialike flowers with orange centers that start in June and run through September.

Hawthorn 'Winter King'

In some winters, depending on how hungry the birds are, “Winter King” hawthorn trees will hold onto their luscious red berries well into March.

In fall, the leaves turn a golden-bronze shade with hints of purple and red.

Known botanically as Crataegus viridis “Winter King,” this hawthorn tree stays fairly small — 25 to 30 feet tall at maturity with a rounded, vaselike habit — making it a good tree for smallish yards. Unlike other hawthorns, this cultivar is mostly free of spines and thorns. It also tends not to be bothered by diseases or pests.

For a winter show-stopper, plant a pair of “Winter King” trees in front of a grouping of dark evergreens like hemlocks or yews.

Hawthorns like full sun and average well-drained soil, and they don’t mind urban pollution or periods of drought. White flowers cover the tree in May and summer offers glossy green leaves with toothed edges.

Winterberry

With its long-lasting large red berries that begin appearing around Thanksgiving, winterberry has long been one of my favorites. It’s absolutely maintenance free and deer have never bothered mine.

This large deciduous shrub or small tree can reach a height and width of 6 to 10 feet. I’ve got an old one that’s easily 10 feet tall and its branching habit has become much more treelike over the years.

Known botanically as Ilex verticillata, this hardy American holly likes rich acidic soil and it doesn’t mind wet spots. Mine is right by a natural spring and it’s often got wet feet in winter and spring.

The berries make good arrangements indoors, especially for the holidays when set among a few boughs of evergreens. Outdoors, like all of these winter wonders, give it a backdrop of evergreens to really show off the berries.